Thinking of You
by Sokorra Lewis
Summary: Sequel to Who Knew. A month after the events of WK, Kate and Ziva are working a case that brings someone from her past back into her life, while Gibbs and the rest of the team work on a case involving someone from his.
1. Circus

Chapter One: Circus

Kate opened her eyes to find herself alone. She blinked herself awake and glanced around the room. It was still pretty bare, with boxes scattered about. Moving was taking a long time to do between finding time to do the actual packing and moving, and doing the paperwork to end her lease. Tony's was over that month so they just had to not renew it. But most of the boxes were now in the house, and the old furniture was ceremoniously gotten rid of. Ben and Tony had gotten a lot of amusement from doing that. It did make the house look quite empty though.

She saw that the door that led from the bedroom to the back porch was slightly open. She frowned. Since the weather was in summer high-gear, they had the air conditioning on, and usually did not leave the doors open unless they were moving furniture. Which at 3:32 in the morning, was not happening.

She got out from underneath the sheet and off the bed and walked over the door, knowing halfway there that Tony had just forgotten to close it. She found him sitting on one of the deck chairs, which was one of the few pieces of furniture they had kept from his Aunt's collection.

As soon as she was out the door, she was hit with a blast of heat that made her want to go back inside. It was nice and cool inside. And there were pillows.

"A little early for the sunrise, Tony." She said, standing behind his chair. He looked up at her and gave her half a smile." Come back inside."

"Couldn't sleep. Figured out here was less likely to wake you up. Guess I was wrong."

"I've gotten used to someone being there. Insomnia, again?" In the month that she had been living with Tony, she had come to realize that most nights he wouldn't be there the whole time, mostly because he couldn't get himself to sleep more than a few hours a night. Once and awhile, if he was tired enough, he'd sleep a full six hours. It usually depended on if they were on a case or not.

She also knew that sometimes nights that would be good nights for Tony were interrupted by nightmares of the day Becca was killed. Except in the nightmares it wasn't Becca, it was her. He rarely talked about it, but she knew some gave him a glimpse of life without her. It was getting better, now. She was hoping that with time he'd stop having those all together, especially since both of them (and the rest of the team for that matter) were seeing the company psychiatrist, albeit unwillingly. Jen had ordered them all to have a couple sit-downs with Dr. Flint and his intern.

"Pretty much." He stood up and walked to the railing and looked over the large backyard that came with the home." I got this feeling something's going to go wrong." If anything, the team had learned to take everyone's hinky feelings into consideration, particularly Abby's.

"About the case you are working on?" Kate hated not knowing the details of the case, but since she was working on training Ziva David, the Israeli liaison, and a newbie agent Eddie Calhan. She could admit to feeling some jealousy to seeing Paula Cassidy sitting at her desk, doing the things she would be doing, except she is off helping Terry train people and finish off Becca's old cases. And, though she'd never admit this part, there was the whole part where she'd look over and see Tony and her laughing and remember how much Tony liked Paula and would get a little jealous on the girlfriend side as well as the co-worker side. Which was irrational, because even if Tony wanted to start something, Paula had long expressed her desire not to go down that road again, no matter how fun it may have been. It was kind of ironic that Kate was the one who pushed for them in the beginning.

"No. We have that pretty much wrapped up. Just a general foreboding."

"Well, maybe some more sleep will help." She grabbed his hand and pulled him towards the door. It was incredibly hot outside for this time of day." Maybe I'll make you a turkey sandwich," she added with a smile which Tony returned, catching the reference."

"Don't really need a sandwich to dream about a brunette, I've got one right here."

~*~

Baltimore homicide Detective William Andrews walked beyond the tape to join his teammates at the crime scene. He said a quick hello to Walt Garrison, the security officer standing guard and walked into the living room of what would be a very nice house if it didn't involve a dead body.

The body was on the floor beside the coffee table, a pool of blood beneath her head. She was dressed in a naval uniform, almost pristine except where the pool had met it. Her shoes were by the door. Her hair, despite the blood, was still in a nearly perfect up do.

Kneeling beside her was Will's partner Dana Reyes, who was doing the crime scene sketches. Eli Roush, another member of their team of investigators, was speaking to the woman who had called in the crime. The only person he couldn't see was the team leader, Senior Detective Richard Beckett. The team had been together for three years, since he was hired as a replacement for an agent they had lost to a transfer. Dana had been the last to join the group, only being on the squad for a year and a half.

Dana pointed to the camera that was sitting on top of the evidence box, silently telling him what job he was given. He picked up the camera and started to work, making sure the flash was correct for the lighting. He focused on the body first then went to take pictures of the room itself while listening to Eli's interview. According to the woman, who lived next door, the house belonged to an Andrew McKenna, who worked as a manager at a local hotel. It was aerie how pristine the house was. It looked like something out of a magazine. Definitely not like what he'd imagine the house of a bachelor who held a mid-range job to look. Will made a mental note to look into McKenna's financial history. He must have some sort of alternative income that he could use to pay for a maid service.

The woman identified the body as McKenna's much younger sister, who was a Lieutenant in the Navy. She was often at her brother's home, but the woman wasn't sure what her name was. Joanna, or Jennifer or something else with a J. McKenna always called her J.

"Collect all the information you can, but don't touch the body." Beckett came strolling into the room, brisk as always.

"We know the drill, boss," Eli commented with a smile. "None of us are new to this. Wait till the ME arrives to do anything with the evidence on the body." Beckett gave him a look that showed he wasn't in the mood for Eli's attitude.

"This is a joint investigation with NCIS. We should expect their coroner shortly and a group of detectives later today. They will be doing the autopsy and assisting us with the investigation."

"How did this end up their jurisdiction?"

"When the victim turned out to be a Lieutenant working at Norfolk Naval Base, Roush. They agreed to share it, so we will be involved with the investigation and will be able to take legal action if anything comes up on our end. But they take control of anything military related. Andrews, you'll be meeting the team Director Sheppard is sending us. Roush, you let Wolfe know she'll be working with a Doctor Acula."

Will sighed. He knew admitting he and Calleigh were involved in whatever you would call their relationship would cause problems, but all the times he had been able to sneak some time away with her were gone. When they were dealing with a case, Beckett made sure that someone other than him went to get the evidence from the ME if it was Calleigh.

He understood though. Being involved with a co-worker, even one who technically worked in a different department was something that the lawyers on the case could use to make the evidence look inconclusive. Was the ME really focusing on the case, or on her boyfriend? Was the Detective really keeping his mind on the case, or was it on the girlfriend. It didn't matter that they were both professionals. Perception could be otherwise.

He aimed the camera at the next square of space and started to take more pictures.

~*~

Doctor Mark Flint was not who Kate had expected when she had been told to see the company psychiatrist. For one was on the young side, probably her age if not younger, quite tall and in shape as he was involved in the local sports, including coaching a high school soccer team. He had dark hair and eyes, and was attractive in a subtle way.

His office was decorated in shades of green and stainless steel. It was homier then she had expected a psychiatrist's office to be, and didn't have the clinic feel some offices had. The best part was the big comfy chairs that you sunk into. She could take a nap there if she wanted to. There were three chairs in the office, one for Dr. Flint and two for whoever he was seeing. But one could easily fit two people. She almost asked him once where he had bought the chairs.

Above his desk was a framed portrait of his family. His wife Katie (he had joked about the similarity in their names the first day), their six year old daughter Marcia ("It wasn't me!" He had insisted when he told her Marcy's name. "It was her grandmother") and four year old son Aaron. He also had a picture of him and a few of his friends from school. All the diplomas he had earned were displayed out in the waiting room instead of his office, which left it feeling a little more comfortable for the psychologist.

Doctor Flint had an intern, a post-grad working on his doctorate named Lance Sweets. If Flint seemed too young to be a psychiatrist, Lance took that a step further. He was only twenty years old and looked younger. He mostly kept to himself, observing Dr. Flint as he worked, unless it made the patient uncomfortable. Every once and awhile he and Kate would strike up a conversation on various things.

When she came in that morning, both of them were standing next to a high stainless steel and green marble bar table upon which sat a single-cup coffee maker that was Mark Flint's prized procession. Kate wasn't sure where he had found the hot chocolate pods, but he had worked the machine into make some of the best hot chocolate Kate had had. He believed that chocolate was a natural mood enhancer and everyone should have some. Kate wasn't sure what the science was behind that, but she wasn't about to argue if it meant getting some of that hot chocolate.

He handed her a cup as he made them all a cup. Lance was on his way out for the day, having to catch a flight to Harrisburg so he could see his thesis advisor. But he too had found a love for Flint's Hot Cocoa. She said her goodbyes and sat down in the chair to the right, sighing as she sunk into it.

"You know, sometimes I think people come to see me not because they want to, but because they want to sit on the chairs," Mark Flint said as he walked over to his own chair, his voice holding a slight accent.

"They are wonderful, I must admit." She smiled. She liked Dr. Flint. He made seeing a psychiatrist easier.

"They are custom, made by my cousin Blaise. He got bored one day and decided he was going to learn how to make furniture. Drives his wife insane, but he does a good job."

"I agree. I could use a new sofa set for the house I just bought. Any chance he'd make a similar set?"

"Well, he does order-by-order basis, but probably. Anyway, we should get going with your session. How are things going?" Flint preferred to have conversations, rather than simple Q&A sessions. Another one of his 'make it more comfortable' ideas.

"Good." She took a sip of the heavenly drink." Things are starting to settle down again." She had stopped having flashes of Ari a few weeks ago, although she still had moments where she almost couldn't believe he was dead. Having Ziva around didn't help matters. She knew that Ziva was Ari's half-sister and was nothing like her brother, but it was a reminder that Ari existed. It was an elephant in the room when the two were together.

"Have you dealt with you uncomfortable feeling when it comes to Ziva David?" She wondered if Flint was psychic.

"No, not really. Most of her training right now is recertifying her in the various pre-NCIS training. I don't really deal with her yet."

"You are going to have to deal with her more often during this week. Do you think you are ready for this?" To be honest, she wasn't sure. She wasn't sure that Ziva would feel comfortable around her either Ziva was a reminder of Ari, but Kate was a reminder that Ziva's brother had gone to dark side. It wouldn't be easy for either one of them.

"I suppose I am. It's just going to be awkward."

"Of course it is. Her brother committed a crime against you, and you are a symbol of the fact her idea of said brother was broken."

~*~

"She hates me."

"That's a little dramatic, Ziva. I'm sure she doesn't hate you." Jenn handed her friend a cup of coffee then sat down at the table. They had decided to take a coffee break from the office and walked down to Gibbs' favorite coffee dealer. Jen had to agree that the coffee was good here.

"You don't have to work with her on a regular basis. I think she tries to make our interaction as small as possible."

"It could be that you hit on her fiancée."

"First, I'm not sure she knows about it, and second I didn't realize he was taken when I was flirting with him."

"True, but would that matter to you if the situation was reversed." Ziva shrugged. Due to her career choice, her ability to have a long term relationship that would include being engaged was not very high. She had come close once though. She supposed she would be angry too, but that was two weeks ago when she first got here.

"Anyway, I actually have a case for you. I got a call in from the Baltimore PD. Apparently they found a Lieutenant Jennifer McKenna dead in her brother's home. No sign of the brother. Since she's a current officer, they decided it was our jurisdiction. I want you, Kate, Terry and Eddie on the case."

~*~

"Is there a particular reason why you want to see my photograph collection?" Nick placed the last cardboard box full of albums his wife had put together on the table. For some odd reason, Natasha Todd had decided she needed to see a photographic story of her maybe future son-in-law. Nick hadn't minded. He hadn't looked in the older ones in years, particularly the ones Mary had put together. After she had died, he had continued the tradition, even though there were less and less family photos. He had a few that had no pictures but were just filled with articles about his business successes or when Tony was in the paper for working a case in whatever city he had run off to that time.

They were all in matching scrapbooks and albums. They weren't all the same, as they covered decades, but they were all the vanilla bean white Mary had liked. On the bindings of the albums were gold numbers listing them in chronological order. Tasha currently had number 3, which was put together right after Alex was born.

"Actually I think it would good for you to look over these. You obviously don't look at them often, some of these are covered in dust and they were all in boxes. They should be displayed." She paused on a page that showed Alex's baptism." Who are these two?" she asked pointing to Alex's Godparents.

"My former business partner Adric Harper and his wife Tegan. They were in car crash not long after this picture was taken. Which is why they weren't Tony's godparents. Tegan and Mary were the best of friends. She was so upset when they died. So was I, but it effected Mary more, because she was supposed to have been with them but she choose to stay behind at her brothers and help them with their moving in."

"And I take it wasn't too much longer before Alex died."

"No. About a year and a half. Mary found out she was pregnant with Tony about a month after they died, and then sixteen months later Alex died." He had found it easier to talk about it with Tasha then with most people. His wife's mental health had deteriorated after Alex's death, slowly enough it was almost unnoticeable until there was nothing he could do to help her. Tasha seemed to understand this.

It was kind of funny how after only knowing each other for a month they had formed a firm friendship. Although his father seemed to think it was more, but Nick was staying away from the particular bad life choice and Tasha had a boyfriend who was an Admiral. AJ, he believed she said.

"Alex was a beautiful baby. It's hard to believe our children weren't this small just yesterday." She fingered a picture of Alex and a baby Tony." And now they are having children themselves."

"Feeling Old?" She raised an eyebrow at him and smiled.

"Hardly. I'm in my prime, thank you very much."

"Never doubted it. Ah, I remember this one." He pointed to a picture of a 10 month old Tony on a picnic blanket, his brother beside them, and Mary smiling down on them as they napped after a lunch at Central park." This was Alex's fourth birthday, about a month before he died. He loved the park, so Mary had me make sure I took the afternoon off and surprised him with a trip to the park with an old fashioned picnic, up to and including the red checkered picnic blanket and basket. He went running around with the dog playing Frisbee and ended up tiring himself out. Tony pretty much slept through the whole thing."

"Happy memory."

"Yes. There were many of those. It just got hard to remember them."

"You should have Tony look through some of these. Particularly the ones of his brother. I think it really hurt him that you never mentioned his older brother."

"I know. It's just hard to talk to him about it. Hell, it's hard to talk to my son at all. We never really got the communication thing down."

"Something you should work on." He gave her a glare. He already knew that. But how does one start a conversation after only talking to one's son on Holidays over the phone for five minutes. Just long enough to say hello, happy holidays, glad you are still alive and goodbye. It wasn't easy. Especially when their ideas of a fun time that might cover the awkwardness were completely different. Tony liked watching old movies, and he liked going to war reenactments.

"Maybe you should watch a war movie. And yes, you did say that out loud." She smiled." You know, I think we need some coffee." She placed the photo album on his lap and walked towards the kitchen." Did you ever think of digitalizing the albums? I'm sure Tony & Kate would love to have some for their own collections."

"Are you crazy? I barely understand how to use excel on that computer and my CFO had to teach me. It was kind of embarrassing to have your thirty-four year old chief financial officer teaching you how to use basic computer stuff."

"Oh, I know how to scan. There was this lovely tech boy at the computer center back home who gave me lessons in scanning and email and all that. I can teach you." There was a pause." You call this coffee?!?" She came out holding the can of instant coffee.

"It's house roast."

"It's instant!"

"And?"

"You seriously have not had good coffee if you don't know what is wrong with this. Get up, I'm taking you shopping. You need to know proper Coffee making. I shall wean you off this crap yet!" She grabbed his hand and dragged him toward his apartment door." I cannot believe this. At least your son knows good coffee. It's a crime that you don't."

~*~

Kate walked into the office and walked to where she was temporarily stationed till Becca's cases were finalized, throwing her suit jacket on the chair next to the desk. Terry sat at one desk talking on the phone and Eddie sat playing a video game, reminding her slightly of Tony. She turned and looked across the room where Gibbs and rest were. She couldn't see them, so either they were out on case, or with Ducky and/or Abby.

"Hey, Kate." She turned to smile at Terry. "We get to get out of the office today. The Director just called and told us we have a case in Baltimore to look at. Ziva's got the file and is getting the car. We are to met her downstairs. The Director will get us a room at a hotel for in case the case goes more than a few hours, which it most likely will."

"Alright, I'll meet you two downstairs." She grabbed her jacket and walked over to where her real desk was. She took out a notepad and wrote a note for Tony so he wouldn't wait for her after work and left to go meet the others.

It was then she learned a valuable lesson. Ziva should never under any circumstance drive with Kate in the car. The way she felt after the trip made morning sickness seem pleasant. Of course, perhaps that was helping the car sickness along. Eddie seemed fine, but Terry seemed to share her distaste for Ziva's style of driving.

During the trip in-between moments of trying to remind their stomachs to remain where they were, Terry explained what was known from the case. Dr. Acula, a medical examiner for NCIS, and Calleigh Wolfe, one of the examiners for the Baltimore Police department thought the cause of death might be blunt force trauma, but unsure as to what the object would be. The victim was Lieutenant Jennifer McKenna, and she worked as a clerk in the Norfolk base. The crime scene was located at her elder brother's house, an Andrew McKenna, who worked as a manager at a local hotel chain. The local police had a BOLO out for him, and the parents who lived in a nearby town were willing to talk to NCIS about their children.

While they waited at the Police station for the liaison officer assigned to them, Kate and Eddie went over the file the police had, while Ziva went to talk to the ME to see if they had anything to update.

"NCIS?" Kate nearly dropped the file when she heard the voice. She closed her eyes and thought that it couldn't be him, before turning around. She smiled weakly at the man standing in front of her who looked as shocked as she felt.

"Hi Will."

"Kate. It's been awhile."

"Yes it has." He still looked the same. Six years, and he looked exactly the same as he did the last time she saw him. The day she ended their engagement because she caught him sleeping with some else. She could still feel the hurt she had felt that day, even years later. Lighter, perhaps, but the echo was still there.

"I thought you were working with the Secret Service."

"Who told you that?"

"Your sister, Grace." Grace had always thought that Kate was over-reacting. That it hadn't been what she thought it had been, but then Grace was always one to give the benefit of the doubt. She hadn't been there. And Kate was going to have to have a long talk with her sister when she got the hotel room.

"I transferred to NCIS two years ago. I see you didn't become a lawyer." They had met in law school.

"No, decided to try the other side of law enforcement. Got a job here at Baltimore about three years ago. I will be the liaison between the two groups with this case." She nodded, agreeing that they should get back to business and not dwell on the past.

But it was going to be a long couple of days.


	2. Chances Are

A/n: 2 things. 1) This copy of the story is unbeta'd. As soon as Nano is finished, I'll be on the lookout for someone to beta it and will repost the corrected chapters. 2) After this point, I shall be using a lot of lines from the episode 'Mind Games'. That of course is copyrighted to the writers of the show. Some lines were altered to fit this universe (Kate being alive) and I added scenes, so it's not entirely me regurgitating the script. Hopefully for Silver War (which will probably start in chapter 7 or 8 depending on how long Kate's case takes) I won't have to use quite so much of the show's script in my story.

Also, I'm going to dedicate this to those who follow me on Twitter and have to read my multitude of comments as I write. And to Sasha, who has been pre-reading my story and helping me get through bumps on this road to getting the Nano 50K.

Chapter Two: Chances Are

"Is this really necessary?" Nick wasn't sure where he was, except that it was a grocery store that apparently held the answer to life, good coffee. To be honest, he had never been a big coffee drinker. He drank a cup a day, but he knew that others in the office drank more and that was mainly why he kept a bag around his house. He usually got Starbucks.

"Yes. It is unthinkable to not know good coffee. The best of course is my Uncle Carmine's, but that is beside the point. Everyone has the right to good coffee. Aha!" Natasha had found the coffee aisle. The customers around them gave them looks after her loud exclamation and he just smiled back at them and followed her, wondering if he had gotten involved with a crazy woman.

She grabbed a blue jug like container and held it up. "There are two different kinds of coffee. Ground and whole bean. Notice neither is instant. I prefer ground because it takes the work out of making coffee and I need my coffee before I can do anything involving grounding my own beans. However, I have been told that it gives it its own unique taste. Uncle Carmine for example grounds his own beans. But then he runs a chain of coffee houses in Indiana." She grabbed a bag of beans and a coffee grinder and made her way to the

"You have an Italian uncle who runs a coffee house in Indiana?"

"Oh, he's not Italian. He's Irish. But his mother had a dream of living in Italy and named all her children with Italian names. My mother's name is Italia Marie. You can call her Marie though. No one calls her by her first name."

"I'm not sure what to ask more. Why your grandmother decided to name your mother after a country or why you assume I'm going to meet your mother."

"Everyone meets my mother. And you are family now. My mom will want to meet the people who brought up her grandson-in-law."

"You really think Tony and Kate will get married."

"Of course. I raised my daughter to be a good catholic girl, and one thing we do not do is have children without at least trying to be married to the father. Besides, I think there is something there."

"I never pictured Tony getting married. He never seemed to think much of it, and frankly his attitude in dating when he was a teenager and early twenties never seemed inclined towards serious relationships." He decided not to share that for awhile he figured his son would come home one day and tell him he got some girl pregnant when he was a teen. He had breathed a sigh of relief when that didn't happen. Of course by the time he was thirty Nick wondered if he was ever going to settle down and have children. Actually, Nick had never really thought about grandkids till a few months ago. Mostly it was that he would like his son to find someone and settle down somewhere and be happy.

It still irked him slightly he had to learn from his sister that he was going to be a grandfather. That his relationship with his son had deteriorated so badly that had Ben not been one to share everything with his mother, he might not have known about the baby till after it was born. Probably at the Christmas phone call. Hi, Merry Christmas, Glad you are still alive, and by the way, you have a grandson. The five minute conversation would be six minutes instead.

"Ok, what made the mood change, there?"

"My son wasn't going to tell me about the baby."

"Of course he was. My daughter only told me when she did because It got me off harping on her sister."

"Natasha, I hate to tell you this, but not everyone has the close relationship with their children that you do. My son would have delayed telling me till the last possible moment. We talk maybe once or twice a year. I get most of my knowledge about his life through my sister and my ex-wife Shelly. Occasionally one of Mary's relatives would dean to tell me something they heard, but they mostly blame me for her death, so usually when he messes up." Although Clive had been ok.

"You should really see a therapist you know. Get rid that anger. Become Zen."

"I'm not angry."

"Yes you are. And most of it reasonably but it will give you a heart attack before you are fifty."

"I'm fifty-six."

"Really? I thought you were younger than that. You must use a good moisturizer. Do you have a coffee maker?"

"No, I use instant remember. And what do you mean moisturizer? I do not use moisturizer. DiNozzos age well naturally."

"Of course they do. And how could you exist without a coffee maker. Its one of the essentials of a home along with a microwave and a toaster."

"As opposed to a oven, stove and refrigerator, which are mere options."

"Well, everyone has those."

"Which is what makes them essentials. If everyone has them, everyone knows that you need them to have a successful kitchen."

"Do you actually use your kitchen?"

"Of course I do. Cooking is a forte of mine. Almost decided to go to culinary school instead of business school. I should make you my chicken stir-fry." He paused when he noticed the look she was giving him. "What?"

"Nothing. I just expected someone who had such a love for his ethnic history would have a favorite dish that was spaghetti or pizza or something else Italian." She grabbed a stainless steel coffee maker to match the rest of his kitchen appliances.

"Oddly enough, I don't really like Italian food. Though don't tell my son or my father that. They love it. I prefer Asian foods. Thai, Chinese, Korean. I had a wife who I asked to marry me simply because she could make the best General Tsos I have ever tasted." He grabbed a box of Oreos off the shelf as they passed it on the way to the register.

"Which one was this?"

"Natalia. The one after Anne."

"Ah. Wife number six."

"You make it sound so bad when you say it like this."

"When you list your marriages and can't say a couple anymore and be truthful, you have been married too many times."

"Ah, so you don't believe someone could find love more than once in one life."

"Oh, I believe one could. I just don't believe that one can find it six times in thirty years."

"Seven, actually."

"Can you even name them all?"

"Yes, of course I can. Mary, Ellen, Anne, Shelly, Margo, Natalia and Beatrice."

"And Shelly is the only one your son liked?"

"Well, I do believe he did prefer his mother, so it's not true that she was the only one Tony liked."

"Besides his mother."

"Yes. Let's see, he thought Ellen tried too hard, Anne didn't try enough, Shelly was around for his teen years and actually cared for him, Margo was too interested in my bank account then my family, which was right and the reason for the divorce, and Natalia and I married just as Tony went to college. And Beatrice might as well as assumed that I had no son from the amount I saw him after that.

"How come you stopped after Beatrice?"

"I realized I was just fooling myself. Most of the women interested in me were after my money, in one case my son and it was all a game for them. And none of them were Mary, even Shelly who probably came closest to filling that empty spot."

"I don't think the empty spot ever goes away or gets filled, Nick." He could tell from her look that she was thinking of her own husband, William.

"No. But that didn't mean I didn't try. And besides the fact I realized I didn't really love Bea, I realized that she wanted kids, and I was done with that phase of my life. Besides, why would I want to do it over again after how badly I screwed up with Tony?"

"You couldn't have done too badly. Tony is a good guy."

"That would be more Shelly's doing then mine. She really stepped up."

"How come the two of you divorced then? You seem quite fond of her."

"To tell you the truth I'm not sure. And is this line ever going to end?"

"With this heat wave, I wouldn't be surprised if the computers are going haywire. Although, it is air conditioned in here, so maybe it's just an odd surge of people on their lunch breaks trying to get groceries before they go to work again."

"I suppose."

"Normally, I wouldn't let you change the subject like that, but I did want to talk to you about something."

"And that would be?"

"I want to hold a birthday party for Tony this year. Kate tells me his birthday is in a few weeks and I figure a party would be a great way for the family to get together and familiarize. That and I think we need something to celebrate after the last couple of months." She shuddered, and he totally understood why. He flinched when he saw the news reports and glimpses of his son covered in blood, and his son wasn't even hit. Kate had been targeted. It was only due to a case of mistaken identity that Kate was still around.

"Good idea. Although I'm not sure it would be a good idea for the ENTIRE family to be there. Just a few. Build it up slowly."

"Of course. I am a master at planning things like this. I managed to have the Phillip-Todd reunion without bloodshed. I am sure the DiNozzo-Todd clans can join in festivities as well."

"Can we not invite my father?" Perhaps it was ironic that he had even a worse relationship with his father then Tony had with him.

"No. He is family, even if he a pain in the ass." He bit back a laugh when the woman in front of them glanced back and gave them a look that said she disapproved of Tasha's language.

"You do realize that he'll make commentary all night."

"Trust me, hun, I think Anthony has had a taste of the Todd temper. He knows better than to act badly with us around. Add my other daughters, and my daughter's friend Abby, I'm pretty sure we will have it covered." They had finally reached the register and she smiled at the teen that was doing the check-out. He looked 13 at most. It was almost amusing to see the kid blush as Natasha turned her attention to him.

"Will that be debit or credit, Mam?"

"Credit," Nick responded holding up his card. He wasn't going to let her buy a coffee machine for his place. He can pay for his own 'essentials'. He handed his card over to 'Marc' and watched as the kid stumbled to try and swipe it through the machine. Nick began to wonder if it was his age, or if he had some special immunity to the Tasha Todd charm.

He signed the slip, said a quick thanks to Marc and then walked out with the bag, Tasha following.

"So who all on your side should be invited. On my side will my my kids, their significant others, and AJ."

"Myself, Olivia, Ben and Amy."

"You forgot my Father."

"No, I didn't. I'm hoping you will though."

"What about Shelly? Or some of Mary's relatives?"

"The only one who really talks to me more then absolutely necessary is Clive, and he's having health problems right now. And asking Shelly would be awkward."

"Because you still have feelings for her?"

"Because I'd be asking her to be at a function with me, after the pain I put her through."

"Well, I'll invite her then," Tasha said with a smile as they reached the car.

"You don't even know her."

"Yes, but I have her number."

"How did you get her number?"

"Kate. When I told her about the party idea. She felt Tony would enjoy Shelly being around. Apparently Kate and Tony had a merry war their first couple of weeks in trying to sneak information about the other without the other finding out."

"Sounds like Tony. Fine, I call Shelly. And you are right. She'll probably come for Tony."

"Just remind her it's a surprise."

"Wait, we are giving a surprise party?" She closed the door behind her as she got into the car. He wasn't going to let her drive this time. He seriously hoped that an uncle taught his maybe future daughter-in-law how to drive, because Tasha seemed to think that every road was the Autobahn.

"Don't worry. You won't have to hid behind the couch or anything. Just Tony won't know about it till he gets home that night. I have Timmy planning some way of getting Tony to stay at the office later than normal so we can get ready and have everyone there before he gets home."

"Timmy?"

"Timothy McGee. My daughter calls him McGee a lot, or Tim, but to me he looks like a Timmy."

"Does he also look ten years old?"

"No, why?"

"Because when I hear you call him that that is what I see."

"That's your problem, not mine. He's also going to teach me how to make those musical slide shows so I can put it together for the bridal shower."

"Bridal shower?"

"When Kate and Tony get married."

"You are eternally hopeful, aren't you."

"They will, just watch. And actually want to be married, not just because it seems the right thing to do."

"And a romantic."

"And just a half hour ago you said I wasn't? Having trouble making up your mine, hun?"

"You are exceedingly a puzzle, you know that."

"You just like arguing with someone who doesn't kiss your ass."

"True."

~*~

"I will never forget the day that Gibbs caught this psycho," Paula commented as she stared that the screen.

"You knew Gibbs back then?"

"No. I was a junior at Georgetown, and for two years, every woman in DC was afraid to go out at night."

"That must have been tough"

"Yeah, you have no idea. I actually owe Gibbs for the first full night of sleep I got in college."

"Hmmm… I meant dating,." Paula rolled her eyes.

"Yes, Yes. Dating was tough."

"Need any help with that now, Paula?" She raised an eyebrow.

"Now what would your fiancée say about that offer."

"I never said I'd be the one to help you," he responded, still with a smirk on his face. "Odd, you didn't say no, though."

"No, Tony. Thank you," she said, equally smirking. "I've been there, I've done that."

"Ouch," he responded with a laugh.

"Although it might be worth seeing Kate kick your ass when she found out."

"She knows better than to believe I would cheat on her."

"Well, better her then me."

"Better who?" Timothy McGee stood at the entrance to the Gibbs section of the room holding a cup holder full of cups of coffee from the coffee house Gibbs had them all addicted to. "I've got that coffee, by the way."

"Good." Paula grabbed a cup and took a sip. McGee was good at remembering how she liked her coffee. He'd make a good personal assistant if the special agent job didn't work out for him.

"Who's that?" McGee asked abandoning his earlier question.

"Kyle Boone," Paula answered, turning back to stare at the image being portrayed on the big screen.

"He's an infamous serial killer, Probie," Tony continued. "Terrorized the District in the nineties."

"Twenty two women went missing and five bodies were found."

"Guy only made one mistake…."

"He killed a Petty Officer," Paula finished.

"Gibbs caught him?"

"He's scheduled for a Government-sanctioned dirt nap on Saturday."

"He wants to talk to Gibbs before they flip the switch," Paula said, her tone of voice telling the others what she thought the possibility of that happening was.

"Why?"

"He claims he's going to tell him where the bodies are." Before McGee could say another comment or ask another question, Gibbs came around the bend, with his own cup of coffee in hand.

"What the hell is that doing on my screen?" he asked angrily.

"Uh…I didn't put it there, Boss."

"Who did, McGee?" Tony stepped forward.

"Probie, let me handle this, Boss…" He pointed to Paula. "She did it."

"We heard you were interviewing," Paula paused, "Kyle Boone, and we assumed we would be providing back-up."

"You heard wrong Cassidy. I'm not interviewing anyone." Paula nodded. She had expected that in a way. Better prepared for it then to assume though.

"Oh, well then you might want to let the Governor of Virginia know, since MTAC has him standing by waiting for your call." She almost wished she could hear the conversation that was about to happen. Glancing over at Tony she noticed she wasn't the only one.

Gibbs stormed off to MTAC.

"This is going to be a fun week," she commented sitting down at Kate's desk. Neither McGee or Tony had yet managed to disguise their dislike of anyone sitting there but Kate herself. "With him in that mood and all."

"It's been a tough month," McGee tried to excuse.

"I know," she interrupted. "I think that's true for all of us." She glanced at Tony who was looking at something on his computer. Probably worse for some than for others. She hadn't known the agent who had died very well, but she had been affected. Tony, McGee and Gibbs worked with her all the time, and Tony and Gibbs were there when she was killed. She couldn't imagine that being easy to get over. And there was Kate, who had to deal with the fact that the woman was killed because they had a similar face.

~*~

Jackson, the MTAC head tech on duty watched as Gibbs and Norin talked, if that was what you wanted to call it. Neither sounded happy. Currently the Governor was off screen, and Gibbs was standing in front of the screen, with a look that made Jackson glad he wasn't Director Sheppard or the Governor

"I was told by your Director that you would be personally interviewing Kyle Boone this afternoon, Agent Gibbs." His tone made it clear he found it very disagreeable that his request was being denied.

"Director Sheppard was misinformed, Governor," Gibbs said, his words clipped in an angry manner that was barely concealed from the Governor. It was very clear on this side of the screen however.

"Possibly." The Governor sat down in his chair and focused on Gibbs. "But if there's even a chance that he would reveal to you the location of his victims, we have to take it."

"I disagree, Sir. He's had ten years to think about it. Why the change of heart now?"

"In my experience, men facing eminent death tend to re-evaluate the course of their lives. Most seek forgiveness." Given Gibbs expression, Jackson doubted this was the case with Boone.

"You can trust me sir, Boon had a lot of interests. Forgiveness wasn't one of them."

"How can you be so sure?"

"I spent five months interrogating him.

"That was a decade ago. People change…." Jackson wondered if the Governor actually believed that or if he was saying that to make him feel better about this.

"People, Sir, maybe. Not Kyle Boone."

"Are you refusing to meet with him?"

"I'm refusing to entertain a homicidal maniac who tortured and killed twenty-two women, sir. I've played that game before." To be honest, Jackson wouldn't have gone in the first time.

"And the hundreds of family members who lost a daughter, a sister, or a mother?" Jackson raised an eyebrow. The Governor was pulling that card? "What do I tell them?"

"That no matter what Kyle Boone says in the next few days, come Saturday, Sir, you're going to make sure he fries."

"We all owe you a debt of gratitude for bringing him to justice, Agent Gibbs. But uh… you leave me little choice. I am sorry."

Jackson didn't think that was a good thing.

~*~

Tony watched as Gibbs slammed his coffee into his trash can and then angrily check his email.

"I take it Gibbs is back," Kate said from the other side of the phone line.

"Yep. Didn't go so well."

"Really? I thought that unmistakable noise of paper cup meeting metal basket was a sign of joy."

"I think it was the way it was thrown that tells you the truth. How's Baltimore? I'm kind of surprised you are already there."

"Well, we took the Ziva route. She makes Gibbs look cautious."

"Really, didn't realize that was possible."

"Oh, it is. My stomach still is hiding in my shoulder blade. Oh, I'm supposed to tell you hello from a Detective here, Eli Roush."

"Ah, Eli. My old partner when I was stationed in Baltimore."

"Really? Must get some Tony stories out of him. This might not beat your frat brother, but I'm sure I can learn a few things about you."

"Oh, Eli knows better. I have blackmail on him too."

"DiNozzo!"

"Ah, better get back to work. Gibbs is less tolerant today."

"Tell Eli I said hi, and to take you to our old places."

"Why does that scare me? Alright, talk to you later."

~*~

Gibbs knew he was in a bad mood. So he decided to take ten and get more coffee. But before he made it down the stairs, Jackson caught up with him.

"Sir! We've got a high priority transmission coming through for you in MTAC." Gibbs could tell from his voice that he wasn't really eager to tell him this.

"From whom?"

"Secretary of the Navy" Gibbs sighed and followed the MTAC technician back to MTAC. He'd just have to get an extra large next time.

~*~

"Oh, Kate was right," Paula commented just as McGee noticed Gibbs returning from a coffee trip sans coffee and from the direction of MTAC. "You are truly, truly pathetic DiNozzo."

"Ah, you two might want to get busy," he interrupted. Gibbs is headed this way and…he looks pissed."

"Think he caved into the Governor."

"No way," Tony exclaimed confidently.

"No way," McGee agreed. "If Gibbs doesn't want to do something, he doesn't."

"No matter who's asking." Tony turned to Gibbs. "Where you going, Boss?"

"Sussex State Prison to interview Kyle Boone. Be gone the rest of the day." And with that Gibbs walked out. Tony stared at where he had been standing.

"Yep, you two sure have him pegged," Paula teased.

"How do you think he did it?" McGee asked.

"Do you think the Director got him to do it?"

"Is this part of your theory that the Director and Gibbs had something going on," McGee asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Who else would get Gibbs to do something he didn't want to do?"

"Maybe he decided that he would actually do what the Governor asked," Paula commented. Tony and McGee shared a look."

"Nope," they said simultaneously.


End file.
